Grosh Guitars Retro Classic

Custom color ("Bittersweet Chocolate") lacquer on Strat-style body. Bridge is Grosh modified vintage tremolo installed flush with full springs, so as to render it non-tremolo. Tuners are Gotoh vintage locking. Neck is 22-fret soft V profile, highly-figured Birdseye maple with vintage toner and satin lacquer. Pickups are Lindy Fralin: Blues Special (neck, middle) and Steel Pole 43 (bridge) single coils with volume, tone and blend control. Hard not to rate this category a "10", as I was able to specifiy all of the features myself!

Sound quality is extremely lush and warm with a great voice-like presence. Blend control adds flexibility and is particularly helpful for darkening up some of the "twanginess" of the bridge pickup. It is extremely resonant, as evidenced by its almost acoustic sound when played without an amp (a great indicator of the quality of tonewoods and assembly in a solid-body guitar). Sounds perfect for blues. I was expecting the bridge pickup to be a little louder and darker, but I was previously accustomed to playing a Fender Clapton Model with 25 dB of active boost.

The guitar was set up exactly as I had specified for my style of playing. Assembly was rock-solid and without discernible flaws of any kind. Most surprising was the feel of the neck, which was simply spectacular. Perhaps the highest praise I can heap is to say that it felt like a guitar I had been playing for 20 years, rather than a brand new model. Fret finish is a good as any I have played.

I have only had this guitar for about 6 weeks, but it seems built to last a lifetime and then some.

Don Grosh was wonderful to deal with. He returned telephone calls and e-mails promptly, and interactions with him were very fruitful. I wanted a particular dark chocolate brown for the body color of the guitar, but the only sample I could find was a candy wrapper. Mr. Grosh matched the color to the wrapper exactly! Also of note is Mr. Stu Carter, owner of Fat Sound Guitars, who facilitated the order for me. He was extremely knowledgable and willing to go the extra mile when helping me obtain the guitar that most perfectly matched my requirements.

I have been playing blues and blues-inspired rock for about 25 years. During that time I have owned a variety of high-end intruments from all of the major makers. Without question, this is the finest Strat-style guitar I have ever owned or played. I love the fact that - while it is brand new - it feels like an old familiar friend, and it inspires me to play better than I believe my own capabilities allow.

Grosh Retro Classic in Fiesta Red, bought used but in pristine condition. Alder body, Braz. rosewood fretboard, jumbo frets, trem, blend knob, etc. Pickups are Fralin Blues Specials with the SP43 in the bridge. Pretty standard Strat features with the addition of the blend knob. Gets an 8 just because I'm sure it could have more bells and whistles - but for me it's perfect. Too many knobs and switches drive me crazy.....

First, let me say that I'm going to try to be as fair and critical as I can. A review with all "10s" really doesn't tell me much - I want people to be tough on the gear so that I can get a real picture of what I'm getting into. SO, with that in mind, I really like this guitar. It is light and the body resonates freely. This will sound weird I'm sure, but I like to put my ear on the upper horn of the guitar and strum a chord to see how much the body rings. Yes, I probably need more medication... But, the Retro Classic is really a joy to play. The Fralins give it a slightly darker and rounder tone than my Fender American Std with Custom Shop 69's, but they sound good. Crystal clear and strong - not as chimey as a lower output pickup, but a very good single coil sound. The neck is not muddy, which is a pet peeve of mine, and the bridge is very useful with some OD. The bridge is a little sterile for clean playing, but doesn't seem to be what that particular pickup is designed for. So overall I think the guitar sounds very good clean and great with OD. This setup will really do that Texas Blues thing if that is what you are looking for, but I play a lot of Hendrix with it as well and even some bad renditions of Johnny A stuff. Again, gets an 8 because I think it's great, but no guitar is perfect.

Set up very well. Fit and finish are as good as the Fender Custom Shop pieces I've owned. I've played Suhrs, Andersons, etc and while they are very nice, they all had this sort of slick, modern feel to them. That's fine if you like it, but the Grosh guitars seem to have this indefineable organic feel to them. Almost vintage feel straight out of the box. I'm not sure how to describe it any other way, but this guitar felt "played in" from the first time I handled it. Fretwork is outstanding. Trem abuse can knock it out of tune every now and then, but some setup work should cure that. I just haven't had the time to work on it. Getting a 9 for workmanship and great fretwork.

It's a bolt-on strat style guitar, so I'd think that you could play frisbee with it in the park and go play a show. That's just one of the advantages to this kind of guitar. I've had this one for a while and it's been rock solid. Getting a 9 here just because I play it a lot and haven't had any issues.

Haven't used.

Been playing a long time and would be embarrassed to list all the guitars I've owned. Recently however, I've been on a quest to pare the gear down to just a few great pieces. After owning this Grosh for a while I sold off a beautiful Custom Shop one-off Fender, as it looked great but just didn't play as well as this Grosh. Honestly, and I feel this way about a lot of guitars really, if you can't get a good sound out of this guitar, it's not the guitar's fault if you know what I mean. After selling off a bunch of stuff I didn't play much, I ordered another guitar from Grosh built exactly to my specs. Can't wait for that one to come in.... If you are a collector, or you buy guitars with a constant eye towards resale, this probably isn't your guitar. Resale on these is not good - I have no idea why, but it worked to my advantage as I got a great guitar for a very fair price. Getting an 8 here because it's a fabulous guitar, but resale and basic simplicity of this style of guitar could leave some people wishing for more.

Custom built Left handed 06 model, deep honey burst finish, one piece maple neck finished in aged satin laquer with medium roundback shape, 1 and 5/8ths nut width, bookmatched 2 piece alder body, abalone inlays, fralin blues special pickups S/S/S-with antique white pickguard and controls, also has locking gotoh tuners(klusons were not available in lefties)and the blend pot allows more combiinations of pickups for more sounds. huge 6100 frets too. weighs in at just over 7 pounds!

It is a very versaitle guitar and covers a broad range of classic and modern tones. I use it on a kendrick roughneck 6 watt and a swart space tone 5 watt amp. both amps are class "A" tube boutique amps and this guitar sounds great on both of them. I also use electro harmonix effects and they all sound great on this guitar. I seem to get the best tone when used on an el34 type output tube. (my kendrick can use many different types so it is easy to tailor a sound)

I have been playing for 12 years and been on many other lefties but there is no other like this. I own a les paul custom that sounds like absolute crap compared to this guitar. I also traded in a deluxe american strat to get this guitar and while the fender was better than the gibson I still have, it never was close to the sound of this grosh.

I am very into pink floyd and this guitar nails most all of the tones (Newer floyd uses those battery powered pickups for mid boost) I do boost the mids with my eh graphic fuzz and it is so close to gilmours newer sounds it is close enough.

It does what a maple necked strat type guitar is susposed to do, only with a quality of tone rarely found, I can go from bright and thinner to dark and fuller very easily, every pickup position has a very distinctive bold sound as it should, usually this is where other guitars fall short. I would give it a ten but nothing is ever perfect, Although you can't get much closer than this. I am very happy with the sound.

Set up great, I have played for 12 years and may I say never, ever, has any other guitar come even close to being as playable as this grosh. I feel spoiled playing this thing. They did a great job and the guitar was set up EXACTLY as I asked for it to be.

The frets are so well finished and the neck is just awesome in general. So playable, so fast I swear it almost feels like it beats you to the punch. best neck in existence I believe, I don't think you could make it any easier to play. I can play 4 times as long as I used to without any discomfort, Really. Effortless to rock out on.

As for the fret buzz issue- know what you are getting, I requested a low action and was surprised how low the nut was cut. It only takes about half the pick attack of many other guitars to get the tone you seek. I was overplaying the crap out of it when I first got it but quickly learned the feel of it and could not be happier, I only get a very small amount buzz if I pick harder than I really need to, So if you are heavy handed take this into consideration- you probablly need a higher action,
Also only use the sit strings that come on it or at least the same gauge if you must switch brands, this is where other people have had problems- see, the depth of the nut cut requires the right size string or it could bind if it was too big, I don't see harm in going smaller though, Again use common sense and order the guitar with the gauge of string you want to use and it will be fine. This is not a store guitar and was set up to be used a certain way not just for anyone to pick up and start making changes to it. I just see these other reviews where people mess with the guitar's setup up and then blame Don. Use some common sense man! A custom built one costs no more than one sitting on the shelf- so think about what you want first, it is well worth the 6 month wait.

It should last me the rest of my life, It is very well built Only time will really tell about durability though, I have had mine a few weeks now and it seems very solid.

Has warranty, however I am unsure how long, no need for repairs yet and hopefully never! Don Grosh is very nice person and very honest. I spoke with him and his staff a couple times and a few emails, they always were very friendly and helped me every way they could. I mean I wouldn't expect to call and talk bs with the guy, but he will definitley talk to you if there is a need.

Very nice guitar, does exactly what it is susposed to and then some, 12 years of searching for "the one" is over. I finally broke the curse of the lefties in big fashion.

I will definitley order another grosh from fat sound, when I am ready (that means can afford) a humbucker loaded replacement for my gibson.

If it was stolen or destroyed I would be heartbroken and would simply have to get another.

I would like to share one other thing by the way, The review below by puffstraty does not sound quite right to me, He is a little off on some of his claims,
First off, Lindy fralin IS a hand wound pickup- I know this for fact because I live 45 minutes from lindy's shop, have been there on more than one occasion and have seen the guys making the pickups, in fact mine were custom wound lefties blues specials and they sound great.

Second I have been dealing with stu at fat sound for 5 years now and in his defense he is a very nice and honest gentleman as are mike, mike G. and mark- his employees , puff's claim that he is somewhat a jerk seems ridiculous- who the hell that has played for 30 years needs a week to tell if a guitar is any good or not? If you knew you only had a couple days to try the guitar out and could send it back if you did not like it- why would you wait till you got back from a trip to try to send it back? You should have played it more the day you got it if you had to go out of town the next day, What an idiot! Maybe if you had called Stu before you left and told him you'd send it back when you got back home he would have let you do that! I know him personally and trust him to have my best interest in mind. I don't like it when someone badmouth's a good honest store.

Yeah there could be one or 2 grosh's out there that aren't as good as they could be but don't tell people they are all junk especially when you are making speculations and claiming them to be fact based on your opinion alone. Idiot. Do your homework first especially on the pickups dude. just look at lindy's site.

Sounds like a fender employee to me! Although I am sorry his grosh was not as nice as the rest of ours. Don't blame other's for your own mistakes man! If I had a guitar that cost this much coming to me again you better bet your ass I am gonna play it for 6 hours the minute I get my hands on it just like I did with this one!

2006 model Grosh Retro classic. I had this custom built through Fat Sound Guitars. Strat style solidbody electric. Swamp ash body with ultra thin mary kaye seafoam green nitro finish, vinatge hardtail bridge, 22 fret one piece flamed and birdseye maple neck. Ten inch radius, large sharp v neck,6100 frets, abalone inlays, aged satin nitro finish. Locking tuners, Dimarzio area 58 single coils in neck and middle, area 61 bridge pickups. Volume, master tone and blend control with 5 way switch. Strap locks and hardshell case. Added titanium saddles after purchase. I give it a ten because I got exactly what I wanted down to every last detail.

I play mostley blues, classic style rock and some jazz. Useing it with a Victoria 5112 with a Klon. Suits my style perfectly. Very bright, in a good way with plenty of sustain in all positions. Pickups are dead quite as advertised, very classic strat sounding axe. Would not change a thing about it.

I own or have owned four different PRS models, two Clapton strats, two Fender custom shop one off strats, a Les Paul, and two homemade strat style guitars. I can honestly say the Grosh was the nicest set up, best feeling and sounding of the bunch.The fret work is perfect, the finish unbeleaveable. This neck is simpley incredable. I basically took all the things I loved about my favorite guitars and asked Don to incorporate them into one masterpiece. And he did .

Have only had it a few weeks. But considering the quality of materials, the exceptional build, and the history of Grosh as well as strat style guitars I have no worries.

Corresponded with Don and Stu several times while hammering out all the details. I had a few small things I wanted that Don does not normally due. Like the brand of bridge, and thickness of neck. He came through with no hassels. I've dealt with Stu at Fat Sound on some amp purchaes and a Fender one off custom shop strat. This time was by far the most pleasant purchase. Took less than 6 months to build from order, the Fender took a year and a half and did not turn out near as nice.

Been playing since 1993. All custom built or boutique gear. I ordered this without having ever seen or played a Grosh in person. Just on word of mouth and photos and reviews. A bit scary to drop 2500.00 without knowing for sure what you'll end up with. I know I made the right choice. Could not be happier.

This guitar looks fantastic on paper. Nice locking tuners , blend switch, nitro paint job, Great two point tremelo bridge. The neck was the medium large. Light alder body with brazilian rosewood fingerboard. Lindy Fralin vintage hot pickups with the baseplate in the bridge posn. I purchased this guitar from Fat Sound. I made the mistake of believing the hype on this guitar and based on the specs and reputation I felt comfortable ordering one without even trying it. Shame on me. I wasn't particular on the colour and asked the salesman to send me the best sounding piece.

My style is all over the place but I mainly use a strat for the Jimi/Stevie sounds. I used this axe mainly with a Rivera Suprema and a Victoria 35210. I mainly used an analogman tube screamer. It had the usual single coil hum but seemed queter than most strats in this respect.
I'm afraid when I think about the sound of this guitar I can't get the words sterile and generic out of my mind. It really was deadly bland. I couldn't find a sound I liked in any position. The bridge pickup definitly had some power to it and didnt have that brittle high end that many strats have in that posn but it just didnt have an appealing sound. The quack sounds were mediocre as well. I don't think I ever played more than 2 tunes in a row on this guitar. The only inspiration I found was to put it back down and use one of my other strats. Not a very stratty piece at all.

Some fret buzz on bent notes above the 12th fret otherwise everthing seemed OK. I'm not a very finicky person in this department.

It seems well made and I would guess it will last a long time.

I didn't keep it long enough to ever need customer support.

I've been playing over 40 yrs. My other strats are an early Fender Custom Shop with Van Zandt vintage hot pickups, A 1996 Anderson Classic and an early nineties USA Hamer Daytona. I would like to mention as an aside that I recently puchased an old Made In Japan Squire Strat for $300 and guess what? Its so much more lively and fun to play than the Grosh that its almost funny. Be careful how you spend those hard earned dollars people. This guitar never got the chance to be stolen or lost, after trying to let it grow on me for a while I realised it would sit in its case for the rest of its life, therefore I took the financial hit and let it go . Let me tell you these things are not an investment, the best I could get for it was 50 cents on the dollar and it was still in brand new unplayed condition. Fat Sound does have a 48hr return policy but unfortunately I had to leave on a trip the day after I received the guitar and didn't get a chance to really try it out. When I returned and had a chance to play it for a day I realized what a dud I had. This was about a week after receiveing it. Needless to say Fat sound wouldn't take it back. I'm not speakin g from any deep research here but I suspect the reason for the poor sonic qualities of this guitar is that the body is slightly smaller than a Fender and it does not have individual routings for the pickups, this is what makes it so light.
but is also the reason why it doesn't have a nice full resonant sound. Just a hunch. I have also been experimenting with different pickups since I sold this guitar and can definitely say that Fralin's are bland sterile generic sounding pickups, so maybe that added to the poor sound. I don't believe that Fralins are hand wound. Look for a small manufacturer that really does hand wind them himself. The difference is very noticeable. I'm giving a 1 for overall rating because if it sounds like crap who cares about the rest of the bells and whistes. I hope this review saves someone some money.

Nitro finish. Lake Placid Blue Strat style alder body. Maple neck with rosewood fretboard. medium jumbo frets (22). Grosh's customized Gotoh two point fulcrum trem'. 5 way switch. Volume, Tone and Blender knob. Fralin Blues Specials (S/S/S). Face of headstock is painted to match body. Made in the good old USA.

This guitar fits my work like a glove - a custom tailored glove. I had a McCarty as my main guitar, but it was too strong for most of the music I was called on to play. I needed a guitar that could give punch, but then soften up to an almost acoustic sound. I use the Retro with a Rivera Chubster 40. My effects are a Maxon Compressor, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Choralflange, Boss DD-3 and DD-6. Single coils can be noisy on the 1,3 and 5 settings - but I find that when standing up or turned away from the amp - there's no annoying 60 cycle hum. This Retro delivers all the classic Strat tones fro every style of rock, jazz, blues and country. My oh my - what a diverse wrok of craftsmanship. No disclikes at all. It can play clean and bell-like, chimes with ease - and then it can push hard to deliver the heart and soul of SRV. I like the Eric Johnson sounds it can produce and so much so, I'm glad I passed on buying the Fender EJ.

Everything is perfect and flawless. Hardware - flawless. Bridge and trem set to my idea of perfection. Frets are amazing and dressed in a way I've never seen on any other high dollar guitar I've owned - but I really, really like what Don has done.

It's based on the Stratocaster, so it should hold up as a working man's guitar, although I have no intention of being abusive to it. I've never "punished" my equipment. The finish is nitro, so you have to remember it can be fragile compared to a poly finish, however - nitro brings out that wood tone just like the critics say. The finish does have a quality and depth that even my PRS 10 top did not have. The strap buttons are a locking type - not sure who made them or if they are Don's own design. I'm not a rich man, so there's no back up. I don't expect it to go down, but a string might break. However with the locking tuners, changing a string is a breeze.

I haven't needed repair and don't expect to. I bought it from a dealer/employee who had several in his collection, so the warranty doesn't apply to me. I wrote Don a letter to tell him how much I appreciated his work and got a quick note back. I think if I need him, he'll be there for me. For things like a fret dressing or tough setup issues, I send my guitars to Larry Miletich at Music One Workshop in Kalispel, MT. He's amazing.

41 ones years of addiction to guitar. With one kid in college and another about to start I've cut back on my "collection". I have the Grosh, a Larrivee LV-05E and an early 60's Gretsch lapsteel. I read lots of reviews and tormented a guitar buddy who owns several about why I should consider a Grosh. I have no regrets. If the Eric Johnson would have felt and sounded as good - I'd had bought it, but this guitar has a warmth and vintage feel from the get go. I did own a Rowan Journeyman for awhile. It was fantastic, but I missed the overall classic looks and I think I've decided I'm more comfortable with a blue jeans kind of guitar instead of a flame topped luxury model.

Swamp Ash -- solid two pieces of book matched good-looking, lightweight, toneful Swamp Ash. Maple Neck with Brazilian Rosewood F'board. Huge Frets. Round back, "vintage-ized" finish on neck. Laquer applied, then removed, it looks like. Nice feel. "Mary Kay" fiesta red laquer body finish is glossy and perfect. You can see the grain through the finish, and at certain angles, you can see how the nitrocellulose finish is snuggling into the Swamp Ash grain patters. I guess it's settling into the wood a bit -- though still very shiny and totally smooth and sweet. Fralin vintage hot neck and middle. Fralin 43 Steel Pole in bridge. Blend control between neck and bridge. Case is custom fitted, poodley red lined G&G -- incredibly nice case. Non-vintage Gotoh tremolo sounds really nice. I don't use tremolos, but they sound better than thru-body in my mind.

Mother of G*d. This thing is perfect. Multiple good tones available. I'm in heaven.

Not only perfect -- gorgeous. Frets are shiny and perfect, never seen nicer fret job before. Woods and laquer all done to perfection. This thing feels like it is all together, a solid unit. Many Strats feel like the various parts aren't together. This thing is as one.

It's a solid body, Strat type. This baby is solid. I'm sure the nitro finish won't be as indestructable as a polyurethane finish -- but -- that's the price you pay for the better sound you get from a thin nitro finish masterfully applied to quality woods.

Don't know.

The best guitar I've ever played. I've owned: 2000 PRS McCarty Rosewood, Gibson Les Pauls from 70's and early 80's; 1982, 1983, 1991 Fender USA Stratocasters; Yamaha Japan: SG2000, SA2000, and Japanese Pacifica 1511 Mike Stern; G&L Legacy '02 and Nighthawk '82, Ibanez Prestige '89; '72 Gibson SG. This guitar is generally a finer piece of work than all of those. It sounds better than all the Strats -- though the G&L Legacy and the '82 Nighthawk sounded almost perfect too. It is far nicer made than the Fenders or the Gibsons. Of all the newer guitars I have owned, only the Yamaha Japan made Mike Stern tele-type comes close -- and only after fitting it with Fralin pickups. The Grosh is not a "good value" but it is worth the huge price tag. Once you own this guitar, you'll never be happy with a lesser one.

One-piece swamp ash body. "Mary Kay" -- transparent Fiesta Red nitro-cellulose laquer finish. Maple neck with nitro finish applied, then removed for worn-in feel. Brazilian Rosewood very dark fingerboard. Jumbo frets. Locking Kluson Vintage style tuners. Truss rod adjustable without removing pickguard. Two-post modern Gotoh tremolo bridge unit -- not six screw vintage style. Volume, Tone, Neck/Bridge blend pot. Five-way. Fat neck. Fralin vintage hot neck and middle -- Fralin Steel Pole 43 in bridge.

Holy Cow. Perfect sound. This is it. Neck is fat and warm, but clear. Middle is loud and spany, with Fralin vibe and magic. Bridge is loud and rocking, without ear-splitting shrillness. Acoustic unplugged town is clearly wear the good tones are coming from. Warm tone unplugged, but clear. Sweet sounds.

Perfect finish. Unbelievably smooth and uniform. Neck treatment is really nice -- it just feels like your old vintage guitar. No gloppy shiny finish on this neck. Silky perfect frets and fingerboard. Set up dead on.

Seems as solid as a Strat can be.

No clue. It's hard to imagine getting bad service from a company this small and personal. These guys take their guitars personally.

I've had every kind of Stratocaster -- mostly Fenders and G&L's. This one is by FAR -- the most perfect. It does it all. Looks good. Feels incredible. And nails the perfect Stratocaster tone.

This review is for a 2003 Don Grosh Retro Classic in Vintage White. It features a one piece Strat-shaped alder body; 10" radius, 22 fret, round back large, "oiled" maple neck w/ Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard; HUGE Dunlop 6100 frets; Vintage style Kluson tuners; three Lindy Fralin Blues Special single coil pickups; clay dot inlays; mint green pickguard and knobs, standard electronics package w/ 5-way switch; vintage steel block Gotoh 6 point tremolo.

This guitar sounds fat, clear, and crisp thanks in large part to the Lindy Fralin Blues Special pickups, and large roundback maple/Braz neck w/ HUGE Dunlop 6100 frets. It sounds like a vintage stratocaster on steroids. The guitar does not have much single coil hum at all, which is very welcome. The one piece alder body resonates very well; however the volume of the open B string seems a little weak compared to the other open strings. I discovered an excessive amount of play in the Kluson tuner/bushing for the B string and I may have it replaced. Or it could just be a "dead" spot in the frequency of the B note. I play it through a Dr. Z Route 66 and a Marshall 1936 two-twelve cabinet w/ Vintage 30's. Big round tone hear folks.

With just two exceptions, the guitar was just about perfect. The biggest disapointment was the lack of adequate beveling of the 22 fret ends all along the the edge of the fingerboard. They were practically squared all the way to the edge. Given the HUGE Dunlop 6100 frets, it was a very uncomfortable neck the way I received it. Sort of like body surfing on a railroad track (- 2 points here). Ugh. I spent over two hours with a Dremel tool polishing and beveling the fret ends in my basement before the neck was "playable". I have no idea why DG left the fret ends un-beveled. It's not like the E strings passed real close to the fretboard (like a vintage Strat). On the contrary, there was plenty of fingerboard outside of the two E strings. Come on Don, if you are going to use HUGE fretwire, at least bevel the fret ends! The other issue is the excessively deep slots cut into the string nut. The slots are so low that the strings almost contact the first fret (-1 point here). Again, very uncharacterisic for a high end guitar. I'm going to replace the nut with a new one soon. Other than these two issues, the guitar is a masterpiece.

Built like a tank. Beautiful Vintage white nitro lacquer finish on select alder body! Almost noise free w/ very little single coil hum. Killer pickups and vintage hardware. Again, like a Strat on steroids. Nuff said.

No experience here so I'm leaving it blank.

Overall I would give the guitar an 8, just because the HUGE Dunlop frets were poorly dressed when the guitar shipped. Otherwise a fine instrument.

Brazilian rosewood fretboard, ash body, Dunlop 6105 frets, Lindy Fralin Blues Special Pickups, Blend Control.

This guitar had nearly every available option on it.

All I can say is that there are some sounds that only this kind of guitar will make. Everyone who's trying to find this sound with a current strat, it's not going to happen. You can struggle for years trying to get that booming, nasal midrange punch, and those full, rich chords, but believe me, it's in the wood, it's in the construction, and all those pieces have to be in place or that sound won't happen. Buy a Grosh, save yourself years of frustration with your tone. I'd rate the tone a 12 if that was allowed.

Bought it used, they set it up perfectly for my desired string gauges. The 'vintage' fret dressing that Don gives these guitars is wonderful. This guitar just plays beautifully. There are literally some notes that I just could not hit in some riffs on my strat that now I hit by accident because the guitar is setup so well.

I have only had it for a few weeks. I have no idea how it will hold up over the years, but unlike collectors' guitars, this thing is going to take a beating. I love it too much to let it sit. Overall, the guitar feels incredibly solid, and well crafted. It literally feels like it's one piece of wood. Much more balanced than a strat too.

Don's a nice guy, emailed me personally. Don't know that I'd ever need support, but I'm sure I'll deal with him again when I buy my next one straight from the shop.

I cannot tell you what a difference this guitar has made for my playing. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who's not played long enough to know what they like. I knew exactly what I wanted, so even though I wasn't planning on buying it before I played it, that all changed because I could tell immediately that it had the sound I had tried to get with amps, pedals, even pickups. The finest guitar I've ever played. Expensive stuff, but man, for that tone....I'd spend quite a bit more.

Brand new Retro Classic, alder body, see through blonde finish, brazilian rosewood fretboard, Kinman AVn blues pickups, blend control, locking tuners, headlights (gotcha! Just seeing if you were paying attention). I really dig Don's take on the Classic Strat. Classic looks, modern functionalty, great finishes too. The back of the neck is sanded and lightly oiled. It feels very smooth and comfortable.

I am not some Mesa Recto playing kid, I am a serious musician, and I require much more than a normal Strat can handle. For one, I need tons of harmonics when I play on my amp's gain channel, so that it knocks your head off with a punchy swirly sound. Man, I live for this sound. I can only get it with 2 things... Grosh guitars and Kinman pickups. I HATE noisy single coils, but love that old 60s tone. Kinmans just rip with this Grosh ... clean leads burn with thick tone, and distorted leads wail and hang onto screaming bends forever. Oh yeah! ... this is what it is all about. No fighting to get notes out of this axe .. they beg to come off the fretboard.

Top notch .. you pay for a custom guitar, you receive a GREAT custom guitar. Everybody's happy. Frets are perfect, as is the intonation and string height.

The guitar is lightweight yet has a very solid feel to it. I trust it to last for decades under heavy playing.

Tremendous. Don Grosh took the time to hunt for a specific wood blank that was toneful and that resulted in a very lightweight guitar for me. He went the extra mile, and the guitar is just fabulous.

I chose Grosh to make my next guitar after trying Anderson, Suhr, Melancon, Fender Custom Shop, and a host of smaller companies. My Grosh Retro is perfect for me, and that says it all.

2004 Grosh Retor Classic in Seafoam Green (Mary Kayed). Blend control, 5 way switch, Brazillian Rosewood fretboard, maple neck, vintage looking locking tuners, swamp ash body, Lindy Fralin pickups with steel poles at the bridge, Grosh modified trem bridge.

Simply the best. These guitars are such a great bargain compared to Fender Custom shop crapola. The volume of these guitars is amazing, the tone is stunning, and all pickup poitions are useful and strong. Suhr guitar are fine, as are Anderson ... but Grosh has this weird resonant tone thing going where you swear the guitar is hollowed, if not for the screaming leads and thick chords. Grosh + Swamp Ash body + Brazillian rosewood fretboard + maple neck = :)

Lightweight (under 7lbs) and yet solid as a rock. Looks like a museum piece when you first open the case ...

NA ... only time will tell. But it is extremely well built. And I am a picky MF. I notice anything and everything, from frets that were not dressed 100% to tuners that stick a bit when they turn. This Grosh is perfect. Built with incredible attention to detail.

Don Grosh was the ONLY builder to answer my Emails when I was searching for lightweight guitars. THE ONLY ONE! And he answered all my questions and was very pleasant. The best part is I have played every handmade guitar out there, and the Retro Classic by Grosh eats them all alive. Don Emailed my personally. The rest of the lot (Suhr, Anderson, Melancon etc..) should take classes in how to treat customers, and how to make a guitar as loud and vibrant as a Grosh.

Hey, throw away what you think you know, and take some advice from a fellow musician who has gigged for 30 years. A Swamp Ash bodied, Brazillian Rosewood fretboarded and maple necked Grosh will give you balls in the bridge position and sparkling cleans in the neck, with all the shimmer and quack you could imagine in between. Outstanding guitars, and lighweight. Some reviewer below belly-ached about the locking tuners. They look vintage, yet lock using a slot on the top. If you don't get why that is a GREAT feature, then don't shop for a hand made guitar. Buy a Squire and tape a Big Muff to the top. Fat Sounds in NC specs their guitars for absolute tone and playability ... and Don Grosh builds incredible sounding guitars that look vintage and handle modern playing.

2002 Made in California, 22 fret straight maple/Indian Rosewood fingerboard, master volume, tone and blend control, Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot/VH/Steel Pole 43 pickups, medium weight Alder body, Strat style body, pure nitro laquer finish in an awesome one-of-a-kind tie dye/bowling bowl color scheme, neck has a satinlaquer finish with a matching headstock design, Gotoh 1088 bridge, locking Kluson style Gotoh tuners, medium large roundback neck profile, 10" radius, 6105 frets, custom G&G case.

Right off the bat, when I first played this guitar in the store, I knew it was something special. In fact another customer was pondering buying the guitar simply for the paint job, but he balked while I had it in my hand and I took it as a good omen, Sorry, this one's mine! I have always been a Strat guy, I was first in line for the SRV Strat when it came out, and continued to use a '57 re-issue Strat w/Fralins for years, thinking I could never get one Strat that had the thickness of the SRV and the clarity of the '57. I have had the experience of using a killer '64 Strat in the studio (one of the best I have ever played) and also thought I would never find a guitar that sounded as good as that '64. I have also played, owned and sold(!) a few other pre-CBS Strats and early custom shop Strats that weren't so good. So I quite rightfully thought the two I owned and that '64 Strat were the pinnacle of Stratdom, until I tried this Grosh...True, I wish it said Fender on it, but a cheap decal does not a great guitar make!! This guitar has everything and more of the three Strats I have cherished for years. It is as fat as my old SRV (since sold after the Grosh purchase) and easily as much clarity as my '57 re-issue, plus it plays MUCH better and the Fralin Steel Pole 43 bridge pickup keeps me from picking up a Gibson style guitar for fat lead lines. But, the most amazing thing about Don's guitar, which I have yet to hear from any other Strat (that includes the '64 Strat), even without plugging in, is its amazing dynamic range and sustain. The whole guitar literally shakes when manhandled, but still purrs when lightly touched. It is very evenly balanced from string to string, plays virtually flawlessly up and down the neck and continues to open up new creative avenues with which to explore. Even some of the best Strats I have come in contact with, will always have certain points on the neck where the harmonics are richer and fuller, therefor you tend to gravitate and stay within that space because of its sonic character. Well, this Grosh has that effect EVERYWHERE on the neck! I've had to learn new scale positions to go where I had never been before just to take full advantage of this instrument's abilities. My stlye tends to range from hard rock rhythem work to bluesier lead work and occasional ambient sonic scapes and this guitar, well what can I say, it makes me want to explore beyond my "style" whatever that may mean. It is an amazing instrument, and I do not use that term lightly.

The factory set up was excellent, not to my style, but that's not Don's fault, it was a store stock guitar, not a custom guitar. A store set up with the right strings and a few tweaks here and there dialed it in rather nicely. It still isn't perfect, but I am never fully satisfied, so I don't blame Don. The neck seems to have the right attributes for a lifetime of service; stable, proper relief (not the typical "too much relief on the treble side and none on the bass side" that you see on factory and quite a few "custom shop" Fender's), no humps or rising tung issues. The finish is gorgeous with a few of the "flaws" that can occur when shooting pure laquer, i.e. it sinks into the wood in a few places. Some may complain about this, but I know what I want from a finish and I want it to interact with the body wood. These "flaws" are a testament to its authenticity. If the maker of your guitar claims it to be "laquer" and after a couple of years, you can't see any grain lines, it ain't pure laquer!! It probably has a thick poly base coat and a couple of laquer clear coats on top. The nicest thing about Don's finish is that it is acoustically transparent, but it doesn't "gum up" like many custom painter's laquer finishes do. The neck pocket could be a little tighter, but it obviously doesn't adversely affect the tone and it does make the neck easier to remove without cracking the finish around the neck pocket on the body. The fret dressing is very cool and very comfortable, I remember somebody describing Don's fret ends as little Vienna Sausages! The stuff you don't see is equally nice, all holes under the pickguard and back plate are countersunk so that the finish won't crack over time. The wiring is clean and neat, and Don uses the very best pots and switches for flawless performance. Best of all, the Gotoh 1088 bridge, locking tuners and properly cut and finished synthetic nut create an incredible whammy bar set up. Again, it allows me to explore the whammy bar in creative ways that weren't possible before on other guitars due to tuning issues.

The Strat is a reliable design by default, but Don's attention to detail makes me think it will easily outlast its Fender counterparts. The hardware is stout, the wood seems very stable and while the finish is thin (good), I'm sure it will relic AND keep its hardness over time, unlike old Strats that have finishes that turn to chewing gum under use and hot lights. I never not take a back up, that is simply stupid, but I have played 4 set shows with this guitar without ever reaching for my back up. The Gotoh gridge has brought the string breaking down to about half of what I am used to! This guitar will be around for a long time!!

I feel compelled to address the reviewer who thought it necessary to tear into Don's craftsmenship WITHOUT contacting him and giving him a chance to fix the problem. He mentioned a N/A under customer support because he felt it would have been a "long and fruitless" phone conversation. How would you know without trying? Don is a VERY nice guy and since his name is on the headstock, he might want to rectify a potentially problematic neck. It sounds like the guitar was new, so it is under warranty. Why not contact him, he may replace it if it has an actual problem. Plus, he can set it up so that it won't stick in the nut (are you using a heavier gauge of strings, possibly?) Anyway, enough of the rant, I just want to stick up for a guy that has been a pleasure for me to deal with and is very concerned about the guitars in the field with his name on it.

I have been playing for about 20 years now and like I said before, have owned and loved many Strat in the past, but this guitar is truly special. I have considered a few other small builder Strats in the past (including Fender Custom Shop), and while some are better than others and some were worth taking home, this guitar was and is a stand out in my mind. I have tried other Retros by Don and I have found them to be very consistant, all seem to have this same vibe, but this one in particular spoke to ME! I use this guitar primarily through a Dr. Z MAZ 18 210 (great Strat amp by the way!) and a slew of boutique and cool pawn shop pedals. If it got lost or stolen, I'd call Don and have him make me another. But whoever steals this guitar better hide it, it is VERY unique and hard to miss! Way to go Don!!

1 Piece Alder Body, Flame Maple Neck, 6105 frets, maple Neck and fingerboard, Modified gotoh Bridge, Locking Kluson tuners, Lindy Fralins Blues, Blend Control, Nitro finish, everyhing a Vintage Strat could ever be and more!

I play only Grosh Guitars through mostly Blackface Fender Amps
The Super Reverb is my Favorite! The Grosh Retro Classic has
that old Fender Vibe but Built like a Rock! Incredible Tone!!!!!
I changed the Fralins for vitual Vintage Dimarzio's because of the Noise Factor. This Guitar stays in tune! The Craftmanship is the Best I have ever seen on ANY GUITAR! The Tone is Classic Strat all the way. The Neck pickup sound is H U G E ! the Blend control is awesome. great for getting that Tele Twang.

the Nitro finish is extremely Light, The Action is completly adjustable, the Bone Nut was cut Perfectly. I only had to adjust the intonation a small amount. Typical for any guitar. Overall The Finest Instument I have ever seen!

The Nitro finish is Hand Rubbed and Very Light for TONE! It wll relic very nicely if you want it to. This Guitar is Built so well it most likely will last several lifetimes.

I have never needed to Contact Grosh, but I assume it wold not be a problem.

Simply the BEST Modern Retro Strat Built! I cannot say enough positive things about this Guitar!

2003 Swamp Ash Retro Classic. Deep, dark translucent red strat syle with 25.5" maple/rosewood, medium roundback neck w/6105 frets. Gorgeous color - classy and understated but very cool. S/S/S with Lindy Fralin Blues Specials. Locking Kluson tuners, 1088 Vintage Tremolo bridge. Blend control provided allowing bridge P.U. to be gradually added to position 4 or 5 or neck P.U. added to 1 and 2.

Amazing sound. There is an almost organic sound and feel to the guitar that is hard to describe. I am playing it through a Bogner Shiva head with Bogner 2/12 cabinet. Is excellent with everything from blues to Knopfler-esque sounds to heavily overdriven rock. Obviously it doesn't do a humbucker sort of thing but I have other guitars for that. The clean sound with a little reverb is amazingly pure with great harmonics and nuance. I have never played a guitar whose sound is so inherently right. I use a Carl Martin compression pedal, H20 delay and chorus, and a Barber overdrive. I have become much pickier about effects since getting the Grosh because I can't stand to ruin it's inherent tone. Pickups are surprising quiet for not being noise canceling and I think noise canceling cancels tone along with hum. This is my first time owning Fralins but I have played them on other guitars and thought they were quite good but not like this. The only other time I have been as impressed by tone on a Strat style guitar was an incredibly beat up 61 Strat that was listed at $8,000.00.

Setup as delivered was excellent, however it was a moot point as I changed string gauge and had to change. Fretwork is superb, no mechanical/functional issues at all. Guitar holds tune very, very well. I don't use the tremolo so I can't speak to it's use. The only weakness that could be critized is the finish. It is a very light nitrocellulose lacquer that allows a little of the texture of the grain to come through. Some might not care for this, but I believe it contributes to the tone, so how can I complain. It is visible only upon very close inspection in the right light. There are some micro scratches in the finish as well, again only visible if you are working at it. Having said that, the overall look and feel of the guitar is superb. I consider it the most attractive guitar I own/have owned but that is, of course purely subjective.

I am always amazed at the opinions proffered in this category by people who have owned the product for a week and are sure that their amp, pedal, etc. will never break. The guitar appears very well made and there is no reason to think it would be problematic but I won't rate something that I haven't already had a problem with and/or haven't owned for years.

Have had one direct conversation with Grosh and several were held on my behalf by dealer, Mass Street Music. Thanks for the help and your patience, Chris. Warranty is lifetime. Between the reputation of the manufacturer and my experience with the dealer, I am very comfortable

Have been playing again for about a year after a several decade hiatus. Other guitars include an Anderson Classic, Fender Strat 62 reissue, Les Paul Custom, 1992 true pre-Samick Valley Arts California Pro, Heritage 535 Custom, and Morgan acoustic. I will be selling all of the Strat types; I have found my guitar. The Anderson is beautifully made and plays like butter but does not have the life of the Grosh, either in feel or sound. Very nice sounding but a little polite and slightly sterile. I feel that I am truly a better player with the Grosh. I am more comfortable, more confident and just feel connected. I can use the help. Unfortunately I have far more taste than talent. My younger brother is a brilliant player (hard on the ego) and is also blown away by it. Although my playing is not advanced, my experience with sound and tone is. I have designed high performance stereo speakers for 20 years and presently own a stereo/home theater store that carries systems that can run into six figures. Tone and sound are what I do for a living. I have bought a number of guitars and made a lot of mistakes looking for the right one. I'm done.

1999 Retro Classic. Fralin's / Blend / Locking Klusons / Rosewood Board 10" w/6105's / Aged M.O.P plastic / Deep Emerald Metallic finish. Hardcase included.

This is what every Fender Custom Shop and Relic wishes it sounded like.I have tried Tom Andersons retro style guitars and while they're built well they are missing the "Strat Mojo". My Retro Really nails the vintage thing. And the blend pot puts a Tele in your strat. Lot's of versatile tones. I Love it.

Well.....it isn't perfect....ANYMORE!!!. I've proudly played the living hell out of this guitar. BUT when I got it it was perfect, and even had that cool "New Guitar" smell. It played great out of the case and I've NEVER needed to adjust the neck.....And I live in Minnesota, until I bought the Grosh I couldn't ever say that about a guitar. The neck just don't move!!! COOL

This Guitar is, in a word......OVERBUILT. I'm not worried about anything shy of lighter fluid and a match. 3 years of non-stop gigging is proof. Solid quality guitar with superior components. It'll be around longer than me...that's for sure.

I've Dealt with Don and Co. on the phone. Met them at the NAMM show, and done the email thing. Good,helpful, quality care. Just ask them, they'll help.

I'm a 20+ year veteran club player. I also do studio work, and now play extensivly in the Contemporary Worship market. This guitar is the best strat I've ever owned. It nails the old strat sound. I'd replace it in a second (of course I have two more Grosh guitars that I love as well and could use those as back-ups).I play mostly boutique gear. The quality and tone slaughters mass production with few exceptions.

To all the obviously confused individuals out there who talk about pick-up routs, bad set-ups, and 6 point bridges...... It just doesn't hold water. These guitars are played by far too many credible professionals to be anything close to junk. If you really don't like them then move along.... Don makes the best guitars I've ever had the pleasure of owning.

I don?t generally use this forum to respond to other reviewers, but after acquiring my Retro Classic I couldn?t let ?vintage buff at 11/09/1999 18:49?s? asinine comments below go unchallenged.

Appointments: Lindy Fralins, Blend Control, Gotoh 1088 Vintage Tremolo, Locking Klusons, Lacquer LPB Finish G&G Case, Etc? That out of the way?

The ?bathtub? pickup rout is perceived as a negative so Don should probably stop doing it. Having said that, reflect on the following anecdote. Consider the outlets in your house. An electrician could have painstakingly cut a hole in the drywall the exact shape of the receptacle? but why? Trust me people, regardless of the rhetoric circulating out there, wood will not shield the pickups? magnetic fields. (Reference Coulomb?s Law if you?ve ever had a Physics class.).

My Retro Classic is IMHO the best tone wood configuration for Strat?s. Alder / rosewood slab gives a nice, well balanced tone. The Lindy Fralin Blues Specials (extra mids) help make the guitar punchy and well suited for soloing.

Overall, the sound is? BIG! This guitar possesses that ?Hollow Strat? sound like Buddy Whittington?s tone on ?Blues for the Lost Days?. (Now there?s a nice sounding Pre-CBS Fender.)

Fender-philes will want me to smoke a turd in hell for this next comment, but George and Leo never put out an instrument as quality as today?s limited production offerings. The sad truth is, there exists plenty of pre-1964 crap.

Regarding my Retro Classic (1) the neck socket is tight? tight? tight! Zero tolerance! It probably doesn?t even need the neck bolts. (2) Tuning stability is as good as you will ever get with a vintage tremolo. (Want to dive bomb, get a Floyd Rose!) (3) The fret job is the best on the planet [period!]

??bridge should be 6 point? You _sshole, this guitar is not supposed to be a repro. It?s an improvement to a classic design. Why the hell didn?t you point out that (1) the tuners are not stamped ?Kluson? (2) the pickup covers are not Bakelite (3) the dots are not spaced correctly and (4) or various other trivialities.

Sorry Don, my other guitar is a McInturff. No one can beat Terry and Tracey on customer support.

Look, if you whack-off to photos of Leo Fender, and think the best guitar ever designed was built in 1954, then take out a second mortgage and buy the only thing that will ever make you happy ? a Pre-CBS Fender. [They?re really not that great, believe me I?ve played several!] Or better yet, collect Civil War relics... same thrill for less money.

But if you willing to take your head out of your ass momentarily and liberate yourself from the jeremiad complex, you may see reason. Wake up! Things improve over time. Cars run better in 2003 than they did in 1954, science and medicine has made advancements, and people like Don Grosh, John Suhr, and James Tyler build finer Stratocaster inspired instruments than George and Leo ever did. My Retro Classic no exception.

Anyone who thinks that a ?good American Standard? is on par with the Don Grosh Retro Classic is not in touch with reality. The only damn thing they are good for is playing Frat parties where you don?t care if the piece of shit gets vomited on.

So Vintage Buff? go get bu?ffed!

If you?re entertained my this review, read one the G&L Asat Classic Starting with ?The reason I bought this??:

This is a new guitar, bought in November of 2002. It's a Grosh version of a 1957 strat--swamp ash, two tone sunburst finish, maple neck, single ply white pickguard, three (DiMarzio) pickups, three controls (volume, tone, and "blend") passive system, vibrato bar. The finish is beautiful and flawless. The frets are flawlessly finished as far as I can tell as well. The case is the biggest disappointment: maybe it's just mine, but the case's lid doesn't stand upright unless I really push it back against the pressure of the hinges. I hope this will wear in better one day. No strap. No documentation (or maybe the shop didn't give me any).

The sound is great. I have been recording with my band with this one, exclusively, and it really is fabulous for rock and blues. I also played a big band gig with it, and it did fine there as well. Just had to adjust the amp to have less treble, and used the back pickup with the tone control turned towards bass to get a fatter sound.

The action was adjusted by the dealer. Could probably be better, but for right now, it's fine. The guitar itself looks good and I can discern no real problems with it.

This seems like a workhorse guitar--partly because it's a copy of such an great industrial design. I can and will depend on it for many gigs.

Never dealt with Don Grosh.

I've been playing since 1973. Other gear: Fender Telecaster 52 reissue (1980), Gibson LP Special reissue (1977), Music Man Van Halen (1991), PRS Custom (1989), Guild F30 (1965), Grimes Beamer (1997). I know guitars, and this is a good one. My only concern is with the case.

Alder fiesta red finished body, rosewood fingerboard with 6105 frets and a 12" radius. Fralin pickups, vintage style bridge and locking tuners.

The tone is warm and full. The fralin pickups are a very nice vintage sounding pickup.

After reading the previous reviewers findings, I felt compelled to relate my own experiences with this instrument.
For some reason that neither myself nor my repair guy could figure out, it seems impossible to get the action on this guitar reasonably low without the strings rattling against the frets. No combination of string gauge, truss rod adjustment and saddle height made any significant difference. An Anderson guitar that happened to be in the shop at the time, has the same radius and fret type and the action on it was considerably lower with no fret buzz.
Another problem is the tuning stability. The strings seem to get caught in the nut and constantly need to be adjusted. I tried graphite, tri-fow lube, etc...same problem and I even have the trem blocked so that it is not a factor.
The tuners are also problematic as you need a screw driver or coin to properly lock the string in place...not much fun at a gig behind a dark stage.
I've been playing professionally for 25 years and own a number of new and vintage instruments but I've rarely had this number of headaches with a guitar in this price range.
It almost hurts to say this, but I have students with $300 Fender Mexican strats that function better than this this thing.

The guitar does seem to be solidly built, although why any modern builder would insist on putting the truss rod adjustment at the base of the neck is beyond my understanding. Over the years I've knocked over my share of strats with the truss rod adjustment at the headstock and never once had any cracks, etc. Maybe it's for the "vintage" vibe? For me it has always been a source of annoyance on my old fenders.

No experience...think about how long and probably fruitless the conversation would be.

If Grosh and Tom Anderson would get together, then we might have something really special there. Anderson guitars tend to sound a little sterile in my opinion, but they play beautifully and stay in tune. The Grosh sounds a little warmer and seems to have more character, but what good is it if the damn thing is never in tune.

Alder body, rosewood board, 22 frets, 12" radius. Locking tuners.

The tone is warm and full.

Every string buzzed like made! Intonation was for shit too...what gives? I could not play this guitar out of the box without much time invested in the setup. The locking Kluson tuners are a major pain in the ass. Sperzel tuners are much easier to work with and after 10 years of use, I've never had any tuning problems. If there is a difference in the tone with the Sperzels, I don't hear it.

Tuning stability seems to be a problem. In all other respects it seems to be solid

Don is very helpful and friendly.

Retro Classic, swamp ash body, brazilian rosewood fingerboard, med roundback neck. Lindy Fralin pickups with blend control. Grosh-modified Gotoh 1088 vibrato bridge. Dunlop 6105 frets. Mary Kaye blonde see-through finish.

This is one of the most alive and resonant strat-style guitars I have ever owned. The only thing that has come close to this guitar was one of my Sadowsky guitars -- it was basically the same woods and style as the Grosh. But somehow, the Grosh differs from the Sadowsky in that the Grosh has a vintage, "played in" sort of feel that I really like. Nice glassy strat sounds from the Fralin pickups, all the vintage tones are to be found here -- also, I like the blend control a LOT...Tele type twang tones can be gotten with a quick twist of the blend knob. I play blues, blues rock, and whatever the boss wants -- I'm a hired gun most of the time, and I need a reliable, versatile, and replaceable guitar when I tour. I wouldn't want to take vintage guitars on tour, especially internationally.

This guitar was quite near perfect. Fit, finish, and playability are what you would expect from a guitar that lists for nearly $2700. I a/b'ed this Grosh guitar with a real 1959 rosewood neck Stratocaster...and while the vintage strat had a little bit of mojo that the Grosh didn't possess, I couldn't agree that it was $6,000 worth of mojo :-)

This is a guitar that is built for the working professional. It is one of the ultimate strat style guitars I have ever owned. Grosh has immediately become one of the creme de le creme of the custom strat-style builders -- easily as good as Sadowsky, Tyler, etc.

Never had to contact them yet...but I may order another one of these guitars in that cool tye-dye finish that Don creates.

If you are lusting for a vintage Fender strat, but don't want to spend $8000-$10000...this is your guitar. And it pplays better than most vintage strats I have owned. Yes, it's still a lot of money for one of these guitars. But if you are a working professional touring or studio cat, this guitar will repay your investment really quickly. And, you'll enjoy your work that much more. There are maybe one out of a 100 guitars that I have ever picked up that were as resonant and alive as my Grosh. This one's a keeper!

This Guitar is a 2001 Don Grosh Retro built in the USA in Dons Custom shop. It has 22 polished high medium frets. The color is a Sonic light blue. It has Don's cool blend control system that allows you to Blend the neck pickup with the Bridge or Bridge with neck pick up. This Vintage Style Strat produces a superior sound to all others with more flexability then any guitar I have ever played. Pickups are 3 Lindy Fralin with 5 way selector switch. The alder body is a bit lighter in comparison to my Delux American Standard Fat Strat. Tim at Buffalo brothers and I weight my Grosh and it at just slightly over 7 pounds. This is a cool vintage ax with a great feel. A real comfortable guitar for giging. Accessories incude a very nice G&G Black Tolex hard case.

This guitar is every thing you would ever want in sound from a
Vintage strat and yet it allows even more varations in sound then those of the classic years. This guitar is as resinant beyond any thing you could imagine. Its great with that clean vintage sound or with a bit of compression offers that snap from the 60's and 70's that vintage guitar players want. It came perfectly sit up for me and ready to play. It stays in tune perfectly. I couldn't imagine playing any thing else.

The workman ship on these guitars is flawless. Don's guitars are simply solid as a rock. No they are not noiseless pickups. Remember the pickups are Lindy Fralin with the vintage cool sound that Leo Fender originally built in his guitars 50 years ago. Don Grosh gives you even more with the perfection of Fralin's superior sounding pickups.

This is one kick ass guitar that that will stand up to the riggers of every night giging masive Jam and recording sessions. No short cuts by Don grosh on this guitar. Pure quality in every since of the word. No the paint on this guitar is not overly done and I wouldn't want it any other way. Don's guitars are painted to insure the srong resinant sounds are not lost.

The People at Don Grosh are there to help you. Also I called Don on the phone to see what strings he had sit me up with. Don Uses SIT. I like them, they are a bit hard to find and its about as easy to order them off of the enter net as shop around for them. He recomments 10's. I had several question and Don answered every one of them. Also Tim and the Gang at Buffalo Brothers were just great. I had waited anxiosly for my Grosh to arrive. Time let me know immediately. Tim specializes in vintage guitars and his support and knowlege are as good as they come.

This guitar is the Cream of the crop in vintage style Strat type guitars. I have never played any thing better. All players have a wide range in likes and dislikes. If your looking for a Vintage Strat and want the sound and feel of one from the early 60's compare the Don Grosh Retro Classic with the others. You won't be sorry you did.

Late 2000 model Retro Classic made in California. This is a strat copy so everyone knows the layout. Alder body with maple neck and rosewood fingerboard, pickups are all single coil Lindy Fralin vintage hotset with base plate on bridge pickup. Vintage style trem with two pivots rather than six. Neck is a custom profile on the backside and fingerboard has a constant 10" radius. Finish is a nitro three color burst and tuners are gotoh vintage locking. No accessories other than a case and allen wrench for the trem. Single master volume, single tone and blend pot for mixing neck/bridge pickups. Five way selector switch.

I bought this particular guitar after about three years of shopping and it is suitable for any music you would play a strat on. It's not reinventing the wheel but just a beautifully made Strat with a lot of character. I plug straight into a Rivera Quiana 2x12 amp with only the occasional wah pedal or tremolo in line. Pickups are single coil and subject to some noise but I wanted a strat and this is the only way to get those tones, noise is just a small issue when the tone is this good. If you follow the reviews on this site alone you know that this is top of the heap for this style of instrument. I could try and justify the construction and trem etc. but the tone is what counts and I don't really care to argue, just play. I have had a lot of good guitars over the last 20 years and curently own a PRS custom 22 and several tele's but if you want pure Strat tone all you have to do is play one of these through a good amp and there is no question left. If you are seriously considering spending the two plus grand that a custom guitar goes for you already know what you are looking for and if you haven't played a Grosh you really deserve to give one a try. I would never say that they are better that a Suhr, Anderson etc. but I tried them all and this is the one that moved me to drop the coin.

It's perfect or it wouldn't have left the shop. I am picky and still have not felt the need to make even a small adjustment. I will be moving to an 11 guage set of strings but can't bring myself to put the guitar down long enough to reset the trem and intonation yet, maybe soon though. The finish work is as good as it gets in this business without the sterile, machine finished look of some custom instruments. I have hand built a couple of instruments over the last 10 years and Don really knows what he is doing, you won't find anything better.

It's a Strat what else do you need to know. As far as gigging without a backup, not a chance, I never have and never will. This has nothing to do with the instrument just my experience says that would be foolish.

Small shop, real people that are themselves giging musicians. If you have any question give Don a call he's a really nice person and talks music as well as guitar. Doesn't get any better unless you are a relative of the owner. The guitar shop that I frequent is also the very best I have been in so I do not expect any problems or aggravation. These people are all players and can easily relate.

I have been playing for 20+ years and this is the best choice I have made so far. I would definately replace it and even buy another as monies allow. This kind of instrument is incredibly personal and I really took my time making the choice so of course I think it's the best, otherwise I would be writing about something else. Good Luck and Happy Hunting!

RETRO CLASSIC/ONE PIECE ALDER BODY/MAPLE ROSEWOOD NECK/6105 DRESSED TO .090 X .047/CHROME/6 POINT GOTOH BRIDGE/TORTOISE PLASTIC/FRALINS/
BLEND POT/LOCKING TUNERS/10" RADIUS/1 5/8" NUT/GUITAR WAS ROUTED TO
50'S SPECS./3 TONE SUNBURST

SOUNDS REAL STRONG IN MIDRANGE/ONE PC. BODY 6 POINT BRIDGE AND OLD TIME ROUTE HELP THIS I'M SURE/GUITAR IS EQUALLY STONG IN HIGHS AND BASS, JUST A REAL GREAT TONE/THIS GUITAR IS A REAL KEEPER ONE OF THOSE
JEWELS YOU ALWAYS HOPE FOR

MAN WHAT CAN I SAY/ IT DOES NOT GET ANY BETTER/ THE LACQUER FINISH IS TO DIE FOR, THIN AND PRETTY/ THIS GUITAR WILL AGE REAL NICE

BUILT LIKE A TANK

FORGET ABOUT IT/ STU AT FAT SOUND IS THE BEST/ SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN
AND HONEST/HE IS ALSO A PLAYER/ALSO ROB IS A REAL NICE GUY /HELL EVERYONE THERE IS AWESOME/ IF YOU ARE BUYING ANY GUITAR OR DECENT
AMP CALL HIM AT 919-467-1003/YOU WON'T BE SORRY

AS YOU CAN SEE I'M VERY PLEASED

Grosh Retro Classic custom built with the following specs: One-piece southern Swamp Ash body, 1-piece solid maple medium round neck with 10" radius fretboard. 6105 frets and locking tuners. Three Lindy Fralin Blues single coils and "blend" electronics that allows the neck pickup to be dialed into the bridge pickup using the bottom tone control.
Finish: I wanted a guitar that looked 40 years old right out of the case. The guitar has a transluscent robin-egg blue (Daphne Blue) finish, vintage tinted neck/fretboard (darkened to honey color) and vintage tinted knobs and pickup covers. The pearl pickguard is vintage tinted to a grey-green hue. Very striking appearance.

The Don Grosh Retro Classic is supposed to do the vintage strat vibe well. The guitar does the vintage thing exquisitly. The guitar takes the vintage strat tone on all pickup positions and makes it just HUGE. Typical noise in 1-3-5 positions, but really clean power reduces the hum significantly.
Biggest surprise is that the bridges pickup is totally useable both clean and for distortion leads. Very midrangey without a hint of brittleness.
Next biggest surprise is how well the tone/volume controls work. When the volume is rolled back, MOST of the clarity of the pickups remain in tact. Very nice. The tone control allows you to darken the tone just a bit at a time as you roll it closed. "7" on the tone control feels like a bit of soft compression. "5" sounds "jazzy." Very useable control.
Clean sounds are bright and chimey but with more fullness to the overall tone.

The guitar was perfectly setup right out of the case. Fit and finish are superb all the way around. Trem system was setup perfectly and according to my request. Action perfect.
Only nit is that the guitar came with 10s, I replaced the strings with 10s of a different tension. The guitar did not respond well at all. I had to call Grosh to get the EXACT original equipment string set and put them on the guitar. Since the string change, the guitar is NOT setup as well as when it was delivered. No Grosh dealers anywhere in my area.
The guitar still plays great...just not as good as it did BEFORE the strings change.

The new Grosh has been on 1/2 dozen gigs already. It performed VERY well. My first concern is playing guitars live that can stay in tune an entire one hour set. The Grosh does. I use the trem system often, but not a lot of dive-bombs. The guitar stays in tune very well even when played hard.
All aspects of the guitar appear to be very solid and the guitar is really confortable to play. It's also fairly lightweight.
Oh, and I ALWAYS take a backup guitar to gigs!

Very nice people to work with. Talked with Don and his assitant, Mike during the build process. They were both very helpful in helping me plan the guitar so when it delivered I would be happy.
They also helped with the original equipment strings so I could get the guitar back to stock and back into shape.

The Don Grosh Retro Classic is without a doubt the finest guitar I've ever played in my life. I have 25+ years playing experience and 20+ years gigging experience. Don Grosh guitars are the real deal.
I also own a PRS, now relegated to backup status. The Grosh is just THAT good of a guitar. The Retro Classic blows away any strat I've ever played in terms of feel and tone.
I don't ever expect to lose it or have it stolen. I may just order another based on its quality and value.

The guitar that I am reviewing is a 1999 Grosh Retro Classic that has been built on the cross platform of a Retro Classic offset double cutaway that is not unlike a streamlined Stratocaster, with the hardware of the venerable blackguard Telecaster. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Don Grosh's work, let's start with his stint at the original Valley Arts Guitars, where he built guitars for such luminaries as Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather.
Don's base of operations is north of Los Angeles, CA, where he crafts a limited number of instruments to whatever specs his customers care to dream up. Grosh guitars is a true custom shop, where every guitar is built to order.That being said, we will begin our review of my custom order.
I alway loved the sonic possibilities that a Telecaster offered, namely the sustain that came with that particular hardware setup, not to mention the bridge pickup, which was so harmonically rich and detailed, yet I missed those 2 and 4 positions that are hallmarks of the Stratocaster.I also felt that the contoured sleek body of the Stratocaster felt much better to me than the hard edges digging into my ribs reality that I faced with the Tele. My only concern was loss of contact between the neck and body. When I saw that both guitars joined the body at the same fret, my decision was made. Here's what Don and I came up with.. This guitar has a HUGE(.900 the 1st fret and 1" @ the 12 fret) one piece maple V neck with 22 6105 frets on a 25 1/2" scale length. The one piece Ash body is featherweight and is finished in an impeccable butterscotch finish, with a black phenolic Tele pickguard, one volume control, and a concentric tone pot that utilizes a master tone and blend control. The blend control, which is a Grosh feature, enables one to blend the bridge or neck pickup volumes(depending upon the pickup selection)with whatever combinations are selected.Let's say you have selected the neck position and you want to brighten things up, but you don't want that full on bridge pickup, turn the blend pot until you find what you want. Very useful. The pickup layout here is Dimarzio Twang King pickups in the neck and bridge with a Lindy Fralin reverse wound Strat pickup in the middle position. The hardware is pure blackguard Tele, with the 3 brass saddle bridge. Tuners are locking Gotoh Klusons. This guitar is shipped with formfitting a G&G hardshell case.

This guitar is extremely flexible.It is as at home with shred as it is with Clarence White pedal steel bends. Detailed resonant clean sounds, with every possible variation on the clean strat or tele theme.This guitar is also great for more aggressive music as well. The bridge pickup would make any metal guitarist convulse with joy! Nice throaty neck pickup as well. The sustain afforded by the Tele bridge really becomes obvious in high gain situations. What's not to like about an instrument that covers this much stylistic territory with so much ease? This guitar is as well suited to extremely processed situations as it is to old skool plug in and play routine.

The guitar played flawlessly right out of the box. Don's setup work is the stuff of legends and his attention to detail is flawless. The wood selection and the hardware are top drawer, and through Don's gifted hands they came together to create an astounding musical instrument!

This guitar follows the tried and true Leo philosophy of well constructed warhorse. This guitar could withstand a nuclear assault without even going out of tune.Don uses an extremely thin nitro finish, yet I have no problem believing that it will remain on the instrument forever. This guitar could be shipped with straplocks, if that is what the customer specifies. This instrument is extremely dependable, yet I always bring a backup guitar for gigs and sessions, as I don't look forward to extended down time that is the result of a broken string.

Don will do backflips to address the needs of his clientele! He has the patience of a saint and he warranties his work for the lifetime of the original owner. What more can you ask for?

I've been playing for 27 years and I've had custom guitars built by all of the major players, including Gibson, Fender, PRS, Hamer, etc, etc. I knew what I wanted when I ordered this guitar and I got it.You want the Fender tonal lexicon? Here it is! There is nothing that I could compare this guitar to,that is commercially available.I am extremely satisfied with this guitar!

purchases used/don't fool yourself this is not a retro classic,this is no better than a Fender American Standard, underneath pickguard is routed out poorly not for 3 single coils but for a big blank hole/ routing job is poorly done like an import, actually some imports are routed closer to originals than this piece.also top tummy cut has ripples from poor sanding, easily seen/Fender Custom Shop is much better/also many other options in country/owners should look under pickguard to see the $20 router job on a $2000 guitar/ Beware!!!!!!

like a fender american standard

neck great / body poor

not a retro WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bridge should be 6 point

used

a good american standard

It was completed on April 9, 1999. Made in CA, USA by Don Grosh. It has 22 frets, Strat style alder body in 3 tone sunburst finish, 5-way switch with blend control on the second tone knob. Master volume and tone. S/S/S Lindy Fralins Blues Special. Mint green pickguard and plastic parts. Gotoh vintage bridge that was modified by Don. Gotoh locking vintage kluson tuners. Beautiful tight pores rosewood fretboard on a large maple neck. 1 5/8 radius and Dunlop 6105 frets. Neck scale is 25.5" like a Strat. A hardshell case made by G & G vintage case is provided with the guitar. It also came with a registration card attached to the spec. sheet, 2 springs and an allen wrench for bridge adjustment. I rank it 10 for enhancement to the basic feature of a Strat.

Don has created a perfect machine with his combination of wood, hardware, and pickups. The guitar is true to its vintage vibe and yet versatile enough for any style of music. I play mostly blues/rock but the guitar is capable of producing funky music at 2 & 4th positions, middle position is great for Hendrix style music. The bridge pickup is really usable and came with a baseplate at the bottom of the pickup to help enhance the bass response. When I first got my Grosh, I tried it through a Crate solid state amp and the sound was not too happening becos' of the amp... right now I am using a Crate tube amp and the sound is really amazing. The single coils are not too noisy and since the middle pickup is reverse-wound, it's hum-cancelling on position 2 & 4. The blend control can be activated by turning the 2nd tone down to 1. When that is done, position 1 & 5 will engage both neck and bridge pickups. Position 2 & 4 will engage all three pickups and you can turn up the blend control knob to blend the pickups.

The guitar was setup for .010 - .046 strings as requested. The action and fit are perfect. The neck joint is tight. It has flawless fretwork. It has dunlop 6105 tall narrow frets on this guitar and at first, it was a bit hard to fret with your fingers because of the fret height but after playing for a while it now plays wonderfully.
When you pickup a Grosh guitar, you will know that Don takes pride in what he does. Every single details of the guitar is perfectly setup and installed. I've not found a single flaw with my Grosh except a slight buff marks on the contour of the body which Don assured me that it can be polished off easily. Don told me that since the finish is nitro, it makes it really hard for him to polish it perfectly. I am sure this is an isolated incident and do not mind it as it kinda adds character to this perfect axe.. The finish is not very shiny like the polyester used on modern guitars. It will get thinner with age and will lose its shine, but the guitar will breath better and will only improve the tone of the guitar. The large neck of my Grosh needs sometime to get used to it. I realized I've sold most of the other guitars becos' of the thin neck. This neck is just perfect for me and many believe thicker neck adds sustain and improve the tone of the guitar. I've also tried Don's large V-neck and really prefers it and wanted it on this guitar. Stu always has a few stock guitars he ordered from Don every month and this one happened to be available. I took that order but at that time, Don has already built the neck so I decided to stick to the large neck rather than the V.

Like all Strats, it is almost indestructable. The hardware seems durable for many years to come. The finish will wear off in times, but with good care and cleaning, it will last for a long time. The strap buttons are the regular ones, I might install strap-lock in the future to prevent me from dropping it. I can definitely depend on this guitar for live situation. I will bring a backup just in case, but I doubt this guitar will fail me anytime.

Don answers his email and phone call if you ask for him. I've spoken to him before I bought the Grosh, during the building process and after I got it. He's been super nice, friendly, loves to explain his work and very knowledgable. Initially, I thought the fralins are vintage hot models and Don cleared up the misunderstanding. He even offered to change them for me if I am not satisfied with the Blues Special. I don't know how long is the warrany but I think Don stands behind his products and I am sure he will help me out if I need to.

I got this guitar for only 4 months. I've own a G&L Legacy, McInturff Glory Standard, Hamer Special FM, Heritage H150CM, Fender American Standard, a couple of acoustic guitars, and a Yamaha electric. If this Grosh is stolen, I will definitely order another one from Stu. I love this guitar for its craftmanship, sound and compared to the inconsistent Fender Custom Shop guitars, it's a bargain. There's really nothing I hate about this guitar, except maybe I should have ordered a baby blue finish (sonic blue) rather than sunburst. I've never seen that color on any Grosh before so I decided to be on the safe side and ordered the most popular color instead. I've compared the Grosh with Anderson, G&L, and McInturff. First of all, I am a single-coil guy and realized that the McInturff is not really for me even though Terry McInturff is also a super cool guy and one hell of a builder! G&L makes great guitar but since I have big hands, the legacy's neck is not for me. Anderson has more of a modern vibe and currently it's not something that I want to consider, but would love to buy a bent top in the future with the X-bridge.
I think Don has really perfected the vintage strat formula. I would highly recommend him if you want a guitar with great vintage vibe.

USA made, 1999, serial #612, swamp ash body, solid maple neck, 22 frets, 6105 size frets, 12" radius, 3 single coil Lindy Fralin Pickups, Volume, Tone, Blend Pot, 5-way switch, two-tone burst, chrome hardware, Gotoh 1099 FE tremolo, Gotoh locking kluson style tuners, med/large "V" neck shape (very Sharp "V") with a satin finish, white pickguard, form fit case

I mainly play heavy, hard blues style rock. I play through a VHT 50/12 combo with the Fulltone Soul Bender and Fulldrive 2 along with the Danelectro Dan-echo. The Grosh is very alive sounding with a lot of nuances and a very tight low end. It is a very transparent, yet full, sounding guitar with a lot of clarity to notes even when heavily distorted. Although it sounds great as I originally ordered it, I have considered changing the Lindy Fralin Bridge pickup to something a tad bit fatter. Don't get me wrong, the Fralin has a great sound, but I think I would like something with a bit less treble and a little more mids. The middle and neck are perfect as is.

The finish was perfect. As an artist, I really appreciated the balance of colors and even application of the two-tone burst. This was actually a major concern for me, since many manufacturers sometimes spray bursts quite unevenly. Some guitars have too much black/brown or the width of the darkest color is uneven around the edge of the body. You can also tell the layer of paint was applied extremely thin, allowing the wood to resonate much better. All hardware was installed perfectly, nothing loose or misaligned. The neck to body joint is perfectly fit and tight. Frets were beautifully polished with rounded edges and the string height was just right.

I haven't had the guitar for very long, so I'm not sure how durable it is. But I can say honestly that when I pick it up, it has the feeling of a very well crafted instrument, a feeling I don't always get from other guitars in the same or higher price range.

Although I have high praise for this guitar, I have even higher praise for the customer service. Don Grosh really cares about the instruments he builds. Although I never spoke to him personally, he did communicate with me through Dan of Dan's Guitars, Honolulu, Hawaii, where I ordered the guitar. Don Grosh called on separate occasions to ask how light a piece of swamp ash body I wanted since he had different ones in stock, asked what type of wood I wanted for the skunk stripe on the back of my neck, wanted to know whether I wanted a screw-in or drop-in type of tremolo arm along with other questions he felt were important that I forget to address in my order. What was very impressive was his build time. He told us it would be three months from the time I ordered my guitar to delivery. The guitar arrived within only a few weeks after the exact 3 month deadline (yes, I was keeping an accurate count), unlike other manufactures who miss their deadline by months. Don Grosh proves you CAN have speed AND quality. He even called to let us know when he was shipping the guitar out.

Although I'm not a working musician or seasoned pro, I do know a finely crafted instrument when I play it and think I have a good ear for tone. I also own a custom made strat style guitar with a Jackson neck, Tom Anderson Body and various hardware (much more of a heavy metal/hard rock guitar). Before deciding on the Grosh, I narrowed the field down to either the Grosh, a Fender Custom Shop or a Tom Anderson. At the end, I felt the Grosh was much superior to the Fender in both feel and tone (as a bonus, also in price). Although I do love Tom Anderson guitars, and wouldn't mind owning one someday, the Grosh had the vintage vibe I was listening and feeling for (I've also tried the Tyler and Pensa Suhr). By far my favorite feature, aside from the tone, is the neck. I love "V" shaped necks and Don Grosh created a very sharp "V" upon my request and it is exactly how I wanted it. Even the contours on the body make it an extremely comfortable guitar to play. If I had the money, I would definitely buy another guitar from Don Grosh, especially knowing that he is directly involved with every instrument he makes and takes pride in what he creates. As a visual artist I can truly respect this attitude.

FRALINS,BLEND,LOCKING,MED ROUNDBACK,6105 FRETS AND VINTAGE TREM.

THIS IS THE BEST SOUNDIND STRAT I HAVE PLAYED!GOOD BLUES AND DIRE STRAITS THING GOING ON

SET UP WELL WITH A GREAT NITRO FINISH

GUITAR WILL HOLD UP WELL/DOES NOT STAY IN TUNE AS WELL AS MY PRS, BUT STILL OK

DON WAS A REAL PRINCE/ A REALLY GOOD GUY

PLAYING FOR 32 YEARS. FAVORITE FEATURE IS NECK AND FINISH! CANNOT GET USE TO 6105 FRETS, JIM SAID I WOULD IN A MONTH OR SO, BUT I DID NOT. I CALLED AND TOLD HIM I COULD NOT GET USE TO THEM. HE SAID HE WOULD BRAIN STORM IT AND CALL ME BACK. IT'S BEEN 6 MONTHS AND HE HAS STILL NOT CALLED. WELL I WILL NOT BEG ANYONE. IN ALL FAIRNESS DON HAS OFFERED TO DRESS THE FRETS FOR A NOMINAL CHARGE. IF LOOKING FOR A GROSH CALL FAT SOUND IN VIRGINIA AND GET ONE BRAND NEW FOR A FEW HUNDRED LESS THAN ELECTRIC CITY MUSIC WILL CHARGE! I PURCHASED A KLON FROM HIM AND WILL PURCHASE MY NEXT GROSH FROM HIM ALSO.A REAL NICE GUY WHO WILL FOLLOW UP EVEN ON SMALL PURCHASES!

My Retro Classic (Serial # 609) came with an alder body and maple neck w/rosewood fretboard. Neck size is 1 5/8 medium round back with a 10" radius. Fret size: 6105. Pickups are Lindy Fralins with 5 way tone switch. It also includes a "blend control". Finish is in a beautiful 3 color "59 Burst" lacquer. Tuners are locking Kluson.

Sound is incredible. I play Rock & Country. By far the best sounding "Strat" type guitar I've ever owned. I've played the instrument through a Line 6 Flextone and Mesa Boogie Mark 11 amplifiers. Sounds great with both of these amps.

Factory set up real low with no buzz. The three color "59 Burst" Lacquer finish is beautiful. No flaws whatsoever.

This guitar is definately reliable and durable. I will not be using a back up.

I've e-mailed Don Grosh a couple of times and he has always responded in a timely manner. I also spoke to him while the guitar was being built. He was very helpful and took the time to answer all my questions.

I've been playing guitar for 30 yrs. and in bands for 23 years. I also play a 1989 PRS Custom. While the PRS is nice, I prefer the sound of the Grosh.
For those of you who have been looking for the ultimate "Strat" type guitar, check out Don's website. Although these instruments are not inexpensive, they are worth the price. I can really say that this is one product that has lived up to all the hype! If it were lost or stolen, I would buy another one.

According to the card in the case, here are the specs for the guitar: Body wood: Alder, Neck Wood: Maple, Neck Size: 1 5/8", Neck shape: Round Back medium, Fingerboard Radius: 10", Fret Size: 6105, Bridge:Vintage Tremolo (screw type), Pickups: Lindy Fralins, Controls: Volume and Tone and 5-way selector switch, Electronics: Blend Control, Pickguard: mint, Finish: Lake Placid Blue (extremely gorgeous), Hardware: Chrome, Tuners: Locking Kluson (very cool)
Best Feature: TONE and lots of it!
(I only give it a "9" rating because I am not sure I like the screw-type tremolo arm and it is not equipped with strap locks)

Now we get into the tone discussion. I play mostly blues and classic rock stuff -- Clapton, Hendrix, Allman Brothers, Tinsley Ellis, Coco Montoya, John Mayall, etc. My basis rig is a Matchless SC30, but for the big shows, I run a few pedals and a stereo setup with a Naylor Superclub 38 using a deja-vibe as a splitter. I have several other guitars (G&Ls) that I use on different tunes but this guitar is hard to put down once you pick it up. It just sounds soooooo good! For those of you who yearn for that vintage strat sound, this is the guitar. Every position sounds great! The first position is reminiscient of the tones from the Eric Clapton record (bottle of red wine, slunky, bad boy, after midnight, etc) and Derek and the Dominoes Live (and Layla as well). Throw it into the #2 position to conjure up some of those great henrix tones, the #3 position coupled with a ZVEX Super Hard On pedal gets you into Mick Taylor territory -- tonewise that is. The #4 position gets you back to some of those classic strat tones, and, when used with the Super Hard-On pedal...well lets just say the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up. The #5 position is great too, and with just enough tweek on the tone knob and a bit more "crackle ok" from the Super Hard On, you can get a killer humbucker tone. Now if you work the volume knob to about 7 in any pickup setting you will find some really nice clean rhythm tones and the Robert Cray tones in there as well.

The set up from the store was exceptional. The action was low and neat with no buzzing. The factory .009's were replaced with .010's with no change detected in the playability. The finish is a very gorgeous Lake Placid Blue (darker than the Fender color of the same name). The tolex-case is a nice departure from the skb-type fiberglass cases. Just like my first Fender back in 1975.

Everything on this guitar is solid. The only thing I have done is replace the strap buttons with strap locks.

don't know, haven't had to deal with Don Grosh.But, I have had many dealings with Fat Sound Guitars and have always been extremely happy with the service there.

I have been playing for over 30 years. I have owned 2 Fender Stratocasters and 3 Fender Telecasters, in addition to several Gibsons, a Tom Anderson and my current stable of G&L guitars. This is THE guitar for which I have been searching. It has a "feel" that I can only imagine that a true vintage strat would have. Anyone that is a true strat fan will want one of these.

A handmade strat of exceptional quality. Blows Fender custom shop strats away. Quality similar to an Anderson, but more vintage looking/feeling/sounding. A two-piece alder body in stunning three color sunburst. Makes you understand why sunburst was the main finish of choice all those years ago. I haven't seen another this good...it is super thin nitro with awesome color and sweet grain showing through. Maple neck w/ slight tint and nice grain (not birdseye, but sweet) w/ a huge slab rosewood board that is the nicest one I have seen. 6105 frets, perfectly finished. Locking tuners that look vintage, Lindy fralin single coils w/ blend control. I don't find the blend control very useful.

First rate strat tones. The best! All the tones you expect are there, from Hendrix to Robert Cray. Blend control lets you get a decent middle-tele sound too. I play it through a fender vibrolux, and it sounds so good I don't even use ANY effects anymore. Positions 2 & 4 are hum cancelling, as expected. Even the bridge position is useful...not too bright.
I played with a friend's band the other night. Just me, my Grosh, and my fender amp...no effects. The other guitariist had a Fender Custom Shop '60 strat (texas specials....yuck!) and a Peavey 2x12 amp (you know the one with the built in phaser, etc.). He also had one of those all-in-one effects boards w/ built in wah, etc. While he is just as good of a player as me, probably better even, I blew everyone away with the unaffected Grosh in the in-between positions. It just goes to show, you can't spruce up with effects what ain't there.

Amazing attention to detail. Like I said, on par with an Anderson. I haven't tried a Suhr. The Grosh makes Fender Custom Shop seem like junk. After extensive searching for the "perfect" strat, I recommend the following to others: If you can afford it, get a Grosh. If not, get a G&L (G&L's are awesome, especially for the price. While the Grosh has better attention to detail and feels "better," G&L's are the most bang for the buck out there).

I don't know...haven't had it long enough. It seems solid like a strat should.

Haven't had to deal w/ Grosh yet.

Have been playing about 11 years. Have previously or currently own: a cheap LP copy; a made in Japan Fender strat; a Gibson SG; a 1978 strat; a Rick 360; a Fender '57 reissue strat; a Gibson ES-335; a Gibson Historic '57 LP goldtop. The Grosh is the best yet. During my search for this one, I played about 10+ Fender Custom Shop strats that didn't compare. Also played about 5 Andersons, which were very nice but didn't quite have the true strat sound.

One of the coolest features on this guitar are the locking tuners that look like original Klusons. This helps speed restinging, makes tuning more stable, but at the same time retains the proper asthetics of a strat style guitar. My Retro came equipped with wonderful Lindy Fralin Vintage Hot single coils and a very useful blend control for adding the neck pickup to any other setting. I also really like the push in trem arm on the vintage style bridge as the screw in ones always have alot of slop and I get tired of putting teflon tape on them. I give this guitar a 10 for features not because it has tons of them, but because the ones it has are very useful and well thought out.

This is my dream strat. It is very thick, buttery and dynamic. I also own a couple of particularly good Relics, but the Retro comes closer to nailing the vintage strat tone that can be so elusive. I traded a Tom Anderson Classic towards this guitar and although the Anderson was superbly built, I found the Retro to feel less clinical. The Anderson was a bit sterile whereas the Grosh feels more organic for lack of a better way of describing it. I have been playing the Retro through a Matchless SC-30 and find the range of tones to be stunning. The Matchless is a very touch sensitive and dynamic amp regardless of what I've played through it, but never has it been more so than with the Grosh. I know it's not just the pickups because I have the same ones in my other strats. Tonally, everything just seems right on the Grosh.

Fit and finish is as good as I've seen. I really love the feel of the laquer finish and have never seen one more expertly applied. There seems to be something magical about a great laquer that a UV cured finish, regardless of how thin, just can't match. The fretwork is perfect with not a file mark, rough edge or other fault in site and the neck has a very worn in feeling due to the edges of the fretboard appearring to have been rounded over slightly. The neck to body fit is extremely tight. As for the action, I raised it slightly to suit my tastes, but it came low and buzz free from the factory.

I think most well made strat style guitars are about as durable as a guitar can be and this one is certainly no exception. Every part is of the highest quality and obviously built to last. Every performing guitarist needs a back up on stage if for no other reason than in case of a string break. As soon as I can afford it I will buy another Grosh to fill that slot

I bought the guitar from Fat Sound Guitars in Cary,NC and they where extremely knowledgable and helpful. I haven't dealt with Don Grosh personaly, but Stuart at Fat Sound assured me that if I ever wanted to talk to Don that he was very approachable and helpful as well as interested in hearing from the people that bought his guitars.

I have been playing for about 27 years and haven't found another guitar I like nearly as much. If it where stolen I would definitly replace it as soon as I could. I have owned this guitar for about 6 months and have found nothing to dislike about it. It' perfect! If you want a truly great sounding, playing, and looking strat style guitar I highly reccomend you check out Don Grosh.

My Retro is an alder body, 3 tone burst (gorgeous), which I bought used. It's got a maple neck and fingerboard, and a 7.25" vintage radius. Three Lindy Fralin single coil pickups, a modified Gotoh trem (Don regrinds the knife edge and inserts a nylon bushing in the trem hole to improve the action). It has a "blend" control which allows you to dial in however much of the out of the loop pickup you'd like. It's a gas to play, feels as good or better than the '64 I sold to buy it. I give it a "10" because it's the best designed Strat I've seen - the tuners look vintage but are efficient locking Gotohs, the trem looks vintage but actually works like a charm, the pickups look vintage but shimmer and cook like nobody's business, the blend control adds a lot of flexibility, and the fretwork and setup are first rate.

It sounds dynamite. The neck is great for SRV rhythm work, the mid is actually usable, and the in-betweens are the best around. The mid pickup is reverse wound/ reverse polarity, so it acts as hum-cancelling when used in conjunction with either the bridge or the neck. On single coil mode, the pickups do give off a certain amount of hum. My only complaint is that, in my opinion, the brige pickup, by itself, is not up to the incredibly hightone quality of the rest. It works well coming in on the blend, to give some clarity and cut through the mix factor, but by itself it doesn't scream the way I think it should.

No question - the wood, fit, finish, playability, is all just absolutely first rate. Incredible attention to detail, reflected in the guitar's appearance and action. "Fabulous" is an accurate description.

I've only owned it for 4 months now, but it is definitely one solid and well built guitar. Only time will tell, but I'd bet on it.

Don has personally answered all my email, and spoke with me on the phone at some length trying to figure out the best replacement for the bridge pickup. He has been incredibly patient, approachable, and genuinely concerned to get me the tone I want from this fine guitar. Amazing customer service.

I've only been playing a few years, but I can recognize a killer axe. I've also got a '72 Tele with SD replacement pickups that absolutely rocks, and the Grosh not only holds its own, but outshines the 'Tele in certain areas - playability being one of them. I play it through a Blue Angel, plugged into a Blues Driver to heat up the preamp. The trem is especially noteworthy, since its the first one I've ever used(including my '90 PRS CE)that actually works smoothly and stays in tune!! It's what all trems should aspire to. The guitar sounds smooth and rich, is a joy to play, and looks stunning. It shoots down any of the custom shop Fenders I've seen and played. I've never played an Anderson or Tyler, so I can't compare it to them. This one is definitely a keeper.

My Grosh has an alder body and maple neck and fingerboard. The neck and middle pickups are Fralins and the bridge humbucker is a very tone-y DiMarzio custom-wound for Don. The neck is a 1 5/8" medium roundback with Dunlop 6105 frets and Kluson-style locking machines. The neck is a wax/oil finish that isn't currently in production - although Don will build whatever you want. The truss rod in the neck is welded by Don and is very heavy duty and I'd bet it adds to the tone. For electronics, it has a 5-way, tone, volume, and a blend which allows for sounds few other guitars can touch. The bridge is a Don-modified Gotoh 1060 with steel saddles. The guitar came with a formfit case. As for workmanship, Don is simply incredible - I've seen none better. And unlike some other "custom builders", Don actually builds every guitar bearing his name.

This guitar does great vintage tones both clean and dirty. The custom DiMarzio is very clear-sounding when using a distorted amp although it may not appeal to folks who use gain as a crutch. The Fralins are unbelievably good - this guitar sounds a lot better than a lot of vintage Strats I've heard. The blend control allows you to mix either the neck or the bridge pickup in combinations where you wouldn't normally have it - like bridge with neck/middle. It's a neat control. I use my Grosh for everything from contemporary Christian to hard rock and whatever else I want. It is that good.

Don is a master builder. Before striking out on his own, he worked at Valley Arts and built guitars for folks like Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton plus a whole slew of studio cats. Don's attention to detail is amazing, the guitar is solid, and plays (and sounds) like butter. I've owned for quite a while and I've encountered no problems or sub-standard workmanship. Even Don's finish and fretwork are mindblowing!

As I said above, I've had this one for some time - about a year and a half. I take good care of it and it's never let me down. It's very dependable and built as solid as one could hope for.

Don's operation is very small and he'll take the time to talk with you. He's very friendly and very humble. I talked with Don about month after I got mine - I wanted to know what he thought about cleaners for the fingerboard. Don called me on a Saturday and we talked for a while. He's a great guy and a superior luthier. Plus, he stands behind his work 100%.

I've owned a decent amount of guitars and the Grosh is the best Strat-style guitar I've owned. It sounds great and plays great - what more could you want. Before I bought my Grosh, I tested one against original '57 and'58 Strats with maple f'boards. The oldies were neat but the Grosh was better - which you'd expect, because Don's been around enough to know great guitars (plus the Grosh is several thousand dollars less expensive). I have still continued to play other guitars since I got my Grosh, but none have ever measured up to my Retro Classic. With all due to respect to the other great builders out there, Grosh does the best Strat-style guitar.

The Retro Classic is a Strat-style guitar made in Los Angeles by Don Grosh. it has been revieved by Guitar Player and got an incredible review. My guitar is probably a '96 model. I has a very light weight alder body with a gun stock oiled maple neck. The frets a perfectly installed and dressed. They are Dunlop high-medium and the radius is 9.5". It has3 single coil Fralin pickups with a blend knob which allows you to blend the neck pu with the bridge pu and visa versa. The bridge is vintage style and the vibrato arm has been modified to decrease sloppiness. The finish is a dark green catalysed laquer with a vintage pickguard and looks terrific. The tuners LOOK vintage but they are locking, very cool. The neck is slightly fat but very fast. It comes with a black tolex case. Don will customize a guitar any way you want. He is on the Web.
Alright, the bottom line. If you knew me you would know that I have owned MANY guitars, in fact its a joke to my friends and family how much of a gear hound I am. This guitar is THE BEST guitar I have EVER owned. It sounds incredible , plays incredible, stays in tune, and is very dynamic through my Matchless amp and Fulltone pedals. I can be vintage sounding one minute then total shred the next. The Grosh KILLS Andersons, Fender Custom Shop, and whatever else is out there.
These guitars are not cheap, but quit messing around and check one out, you owe it to yourself! I live in Dallas and Speir Music (972-272-1700) stocks at least three of them. Talk to Tommy and tell him Gilbert sent you.

It sounds like the best Strat ever.

Set-up, fit and finish is perfect. There are NO flaws whatsoever, and I bought it used at the Dallas Guitar Show. It was pretty obvious that the guitar had never been played, I think the strings were the original ones.

This guitar is built like a tank. All my other guitars are now backups.

I have talked to Don and he is a very nice guy who is willing to spend time with you to make sure you get the exact guitar you are seeking.

I have been playing professionally for twenty-plus years. I have recently switched careers, but still play all the time. I play a Martin acoustic, a modified Jeff Beck model Strat, a 5-string Jazz Bass. I have a Matchless Cheiftain, four Fulltone pedals, plus some misc. pedals. I record at home on a digital studio and the guitar sounds great on the session. If it gets stolen I would buy another immediately!